Family Case Manager

Grow your career with the State of Indiana! With more than 50 executive branch agencies, the State of Indiana is a diverse workforce offering employees stimulating and challenging projects across a broad scope of career opportunities. As a State of Indiana employee, you impact the well-being of Indiana’s communities every day.

Salary:

The starting salary for this position is $18.35 hourly plus overtime ($35,776 annually).
Upon completion of cohort the salary will increase to $20.56 hourly plus overtime ($40,092 annually).
Cohort training lasts approximately 12 weeks and is subject to change upon successful completion of classroom and learning activities.

About the Department of Child Services:

Join a team that engages with families and children to improve lives in meaningful and significant ways. DCS engages authentically with children who are victims of abuse or neglect and strengthens families through services that focus on family support and preservation. The Department also administers family preservation and prevention services, foster care, and child support throughout the State of Indiana. You will relentlessly pursue permanency for children and families through reunification, guardianship, adoption or support youth in making a successful transition to adulthood. While this job is difficult and may have long and sometimes unconventional hours, this is more than a job—it is a calling to improve your community and neighbors. Will you join us in supporting our Mission, Vision, and Values?

Mission: The Indiana Department of Child Services leads the state’s response to allegations of child abuse and neglect and facilitates child support payments. We consider the needs and values of all we serve in our efforts to protect children while keeping families together whenever possible.
Vision: Children will live in safe, healthy and supportive families and communities.
Values: We at the Indiana Department of Child Services empower our team, in collaboration with state and local partners, to make decisions in the best interest of every child in our care by embracing:

• Respect for all
• Racial justice
• Diversity and inclusion
• A culture of safety
• A commitment to continuous improvement

Make sure you review the “What You’ll Get in Return” section at the end of this posting. The benefits of working for DCS include more than what your paycheck reflects.

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Have a Question?

Email it to dcs.recruiting@dcs.in.gov.

Your role is to protect children from abuse and neglect and either maintain or reunify families whenever possible and, when in the best interest of the child, to achieve a permanent home or independent living for children unable to be reunited with their families in a timely manner. This role is expected to engage clients, staff, community partners and others in a manner consistent with the agency practice model grounded in standards of genuineness, empathy, respect and professionalism while fostering a positive workplace culture and climate.

The essential functions of this role are as follows:

• Investigates reported incidents of child abuse, neglect or dependency, makes determination of whether or not the incident is substantiated and develops recommendations to a Juvenile Court or County Director for disposition.
• Assesses safety and level of risk to the child for additional injury or harm, including whether the child is in imminent danger, and may remove the child from the family as the situation warrants; ensures child is placed in a protected environment.
• Performs needs assessments to determine treatment options for families and children evaluated to be abused/neglected or referred by law enforcement, other social service agencies or schools as a possible child in need of services (CHINS).
• Testifies in either a Juvenile or Criminal Court of Law concerning the needs of the families and children that are assigned to the individual’s caseload, the families’ ability to remedy the abusive/neglectful situation, or concerning alleged criminal activities of a parent or other perpetrator.
• Develops case plans collaboratively with families to assist them in becoming more self-sufficient in a safe and nurturing environment and to ensure a permanent home for the child. This plan must be developed in a manner that recognizes unique needs and the diverse backgrounds of the children and their families. Revises case plan as needed to meet the dynamic needs of the child and family.
• Monitors treatment plans of contractual service providers to determine if they are consistent with the case plan.
• Develops discharge/transition programming to assist families and children to attain and maintain self-sufficiency in a safe environment.
• Assesses the service capability of residential treatment programs and providers to ensure that they meet the needs of children and their families.
• Coordinates local service delivery for a family or children to assist them towards the establishment of a safe and stable home for children. Facilitates team meetings with the child and family along with their identified natural and formal supports to direct case planning.
• Counsels families regarding the social needs and skills of families and children.
• Conducts home studies, family histories and recommends placement for adoption to an adoption team and assumes lead role in decision making regarding the family to be selected to adopt the child.
• Visits children in out-of-home placements to coordinate family reunification, adoption or independent living efforts.

The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to interview and to perform the essential functions of this role.

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required.

• A BSW, MSW or 15 credit hours in child development, criminology, criminal justice, education, health care, home economics, psychology, guidance, counseling or sociology is preferred

• Advanced knowledge of principles and practices of social work, casework, sociology and group and individual counseling including new methods and theories of treatment.
• Thorough knowledge of state and/or federal laws, regulations, guidelines and standards affecting child protection services, foster care, family preservation and adoption.
• Thorough knowledge of related social services programs and ability to coordinate work among programs. Must be able to bring service providers to consensus in order to provide services and make recommendations to the court.
• Specialized knowledge of the interrelationships of the various behavioral sciences as they affect care and treatment of patients/clients and/or objectives of social work projects.
• Ability to investigate and interview alleged victims and perpetrators of child abuse or neglect in an appropriate and effective manner.
• Ability to work with families of diverse cultural/ethnic backgrounds with sensitivity to differences in child rearing practices, relationships and needs.
• Ability to work with children with special needs such as mental or emotional conditions, the foster families or the home willing to accept those children and the professionals who can appropriately provide services to them.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment while managing crises situations including those involving confrontational, aggressive adults being investigated for child abuse or neglect.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, many of a life threatening nature to ensure safety of families and children.
• Required to posses and maintain a valid drivers’ license, independent reliable automobile and appropriate automobile insurance coverage at all times.

Training Requirements: This position requires the incumbent to complete a mandatory twelve (12) week training session. The training session will consist of classroom based modules and transfer of learning modules. Classroom instruction will occur virtually and transfer of learning will occur in the local county office.

Benefits of Employment with the State of Indiana:

The State of Indiana offers a comprehensive benefit package for full-time employees which includes:

• Three (3) medical plan options (including RX coverage) and vision/dental coverages
• Wellness program (offers premiums discount for the medical plan)
• Health savings account (includes bi-weekly state contribution)
• Deferred compensation account (similar to 401k plan) with employer match
• Two (2) fully-funded pension plan options
• Group life insurance
• Employee assistance program that allows for covered behavioral health visits
• Paid vacation, personal and sick time off
• Competitive leave policies covering a variety of employee needs
• 12 company paid holidays, 14 on election years
• Qualified employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
• New Parent Leave
• Free Parking
• Free LinkedIn Learning

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The State of Indiana is an Equal Opportunity Employer